Low-power electronic tape for tracking items

ABSTRACT

A wireless communication tape, dispenser of the same and methods of usage of the wireless tape and the dispenser in asset tracking applications are disclosed. The wireless communication tape can be manufactured in an ultrathin form factor by laminating a stack of layers to impart functionality to the wireless communication tape. Methods of use and operation of the wireless communication tape are disclosed to save battery resources of the communication tape.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of priority of U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 62/742,935 filed on Oct. 9, 2018 entitled “LOW-POWERELECTRONIC TAPE FOR TRACKING ITEMS,” content of which is incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety and should be considered a part ofthis specification.

BACKGROUND Field

This invention relates generally to the field of wireless communicationand more particularly to ultrathin Bluetooth labels used for assettracking.

Description of the Related Art

Ability to track objects can have many personal and commercial uses. Forexample, nearly every business that maintains inventory can use animproved system to track objects within its inventory. Many servicebusinesses can also benefit from a robust object tracking system.Plumbers, electricians and IT professionals carry tools from abase-station to a jobsite. Often the jobsite can be a considerabledistance away from the base-station. Forgetting items either at thejobsite or at the base-station can be costly in terms of replacementtools, parts and loss of productivity. The same issues can be present indaily lives of individuals when needed items are left behind. Forexample, a traveler forgetting to take her passport to the airport, or astudent forgetting to take homework to school, or a new motherforgetting to take supplies for a new born outside her home are examplesof situations when forgetting items can inconvenience lives and causeloss of money and time. In other situations, forgetting some items canhave more severe consequences. For example, a segment of the population,such as patients with diabetes and heart problems, need to remember tohave life-saving medicine with them at all times.

Modern approaches to reminding individuals to take important items withthem have included reliance on electronic note taking software designedto keep lists. These solutions often lack the automation andconnectivity to make them effective. For example, a tradesman can make achecklist of items to take on a jobsite, but in some days when he isrushed, he may forget to consult the checklist and items can be leftbehind. Timers and alarms associated with these programs can also beineffective because the software is not connected to the items that areto be tracked and software has no knowledge of the whereabouts of theitem in relation to the individual.

Other approaches include use of products, termed “trackers.” Trackerscan be fairly expensive items and can come in formfactors that limittheir application for tracking objects. For example, they can be in theform of a key-ring or similar devices that can be affixed to an item ofinterest. For some items, such as medicine bottles, passports or sometools, the trackers' shape and formfactor prevent reliable attachment toan item of interest. Trackers can include a speaker device and can pairwith the user's smart phone. If the user realizes the tracker-affixeditem is lost, the user can trigger the tracker to play an audible soundor alarm to assist the user in finding the item. These solutions also donot improve the situation when the user has left the area where theobject was left behind, and the user has to make a return trip toretrieve the item.

Object tracking can also be performed by using radio frequencyidentification (RFID) technology, where an RFID label can be affixed toan item of interest and an RFID reader can be used to detect the RFIDlabel. However, these solutions require using specialized and oftenexpensive RFID readers to engage and interact with RFID labels that areattached or affixed to an item of interest, especially in the case ofultrathin RFID labels. Furthermore, object tracking solutions based onpassive RFID labels can still rely on human intervention to bring thelabels within the range of an RFID reader to enable scanning andtracking of the label. As a result, the ultrathin passive RFIDs can havelimited application in object tracking, where the user is to be remindedof the object. In the case of active RFID labels, the bulk of theinternal battery and other components and their general formfactor canmake them poor candidates for object tracking in the case of manyimportant objects of interest.

Consequently, there is a need for an object tracking system thatconnects a user's existing devices (such as her smart phone or tablet)to the objects that the user needs to track. If smart labels are used,they need to be in a formfactor that can easily be affixed to amultitude of objects. Furthermore, the software component of the objecttracking system needs to generate reminders and alerts based on thecharacteristics of the object and the context of the activities andrequirements of the user of the object tracking system.

SUMMARY

In one aspect, a wireless tape is disclosed. The wireless tape includes:a polyester substrate; an interconnect layer coated on the polyestersubstrate and patterned to electrically couple a plurality of electricalcircuits, wherein the electrical circuits are formed and/or bonded onthe interconnect layer, and comprise a Bluetooth processor, a Bluetoothcommunication circuit configured to broadcast beacons at a broadcastfrequency, and an energy harvesting circuit; a photovoltaic layercoupled to the energy harvesting circuit, wherein the photovoltaic layerand the energy harvesting circuit are configured to generate anelectrical signal from converting light to the electrical signal; and abattery comprising a cathode and anode layer and a battery pouchdisposed on the interconnect layer, wherein the interconnect layercomprises the cathode layer, and wherein the Bluetooth processor isconfigured to: receive the electrical signal; determine a rate of changeof the electrical signal; and modulate the broadcast frequency, at leastin part, based on the determined rate of change of the electricalsignal.

In some embodiments, the Bluetooth processor is further configured to:select a sequence of broadcasting signals, comprising a predeterminednumber of broadcasting signals; modify the broadcasting signals in thesequence based on a predetermined modification algorithm; and signal theBluetooth communication circuit to transmit the sequence of the modifiedbroadcasting signals to a smart device.

In one embodiment, the smart device receives and routes the sequence ofmodified broadcasting signals to a wireless tape application running onthe smart device and the wireless tape application reconstructsunmodified broadcasting signals from the received modified broadcastingsignals, based on the predetermined modification algorithm.

In another embodiment, the predetermined modification algorithmcomprises modifying a MAC address and/or a UUID in the broadcastingsignals.

In some embodiments, the wireless tape, further includes: a coil antennaformed and/or disposed on the interconnect layer and tuned to resonateat a frequency generated by a transceiver of a smart device; and whereinthe coil antenna is electrically coupled to a GPIO port of the Bluetoothprocessor, wherein the coil antenna is configured to receive RF energyfield generated by the transceiver and convert the RF energy to an ACsignal, and transmit the AC signal the GPIO port of the Bluetoothprocessor waking up the Bluetooth processor, and wherein the Bluetoothprocessor begins transmitting a wireless beacon comprising a startupsequence, having a predefined power level and an identifier of theBluetooth processor and the Bluetooth communication circuit.

In some embodiments, the Bluetooth processor further comprises an ADCconfigured to receive voltages from a conductive surface of the wirelesstape and the Bluetooth processor is further configured to determine arate of change of the voltages from the conductive surface and modulatethe broadcast frequency, at least in part, based on the determined rateof change of the voltages from the conductive plane.

In another embodiment, the Bluetooth processor further comprises an ADCconfigured to receive voltages from a pair of parallel conductivesurfaces of the wireless tape and the Bluetooth processor is furtherconfigured to modulate the broadcast frequency, at least partly, basedon difference between voltages received from the parallel conductivesurfaces.

In one embodiment, the wireless tape further includes a first conductiveplane and a second conductive plane formed on the interconnect layer andforming a part of an edge of the wireless tape, wherein the interconnectlayer is further patterned to electrically couple the first conductiveplane to a terminal of the battery and the second conductive plane to aGPIO port of the Bluetooth processor.

In another embodiment, the wireless tape, further includes a firstconductive plane and a second conductive plane formed on opposite edgesof the wireless tape and on an external surface of the wireless tape,wherein the interconnect layer is further patterned to connect the firstand second conductive planes to terminals of a GPIO port of theBluetooth processor, and wherein the first and second conductive planescomprise an electrically conductive adhesive layer.

In some embodiments, a dispenser is configured to dispense the wirelesstape.

In another aspect, a method is disclosed. The method includes: providinga polyester substrate; coating an interconnect layer on the polyestersubstrate and patterning the interconnect layer to electrically couple aplurality of electrical circuits, wherein the electrical circuits areformed and/or bonded on the interconnect layer, and comprise a Bluetoothprocessor, a Bluetooth communication circuit configured to broadcastbeacons at a broadcast frequency, and an energy harvesting circuit;providing a photovoltaic layer coupled to the energy harvesting circuit,wherein the photovoltaic layer and the energy harvesting circuit areconfigured to generate an electrical signal from converting light to theelectrical signal; and forming a layered battery comprising a cathodeand anode layer and a battery pouch disposed on the interconnect layer,wherein the interconnect layer comprises the cathode layer, and whereinthe Bluetooth processor is configured to: receive the electrical signal;determine a rate of change of the electrical signal; and modulate thebroadcast frequency, at least in part, based on the determined rate ofchange of the electrical signal.

In some embodiments, the Bluetooth processor is further configured to:select a sequence of broadcasting signals, comprising a predeterminednumber of broadcasting signals; modify the broadcasting signals in thesequence based on a predetermined modification algorithm; and signal theBluetooth communication circuit to transmit the sequence of the modifiedbroadcasting signals to a smart device.

In another embodiment, the smart device receives and routes the sequenceof modified broadcasting signals to a wireless tape application runningon the smart device and the wireless tape application reconstructsunmodified broadcasting signals from the received modified broadcastingsignals, based on the predetermined modification algorithm.

In one embodiment, the predetermined modification algorithm comprisesmodifying a MAC address and/or a UUID in the broadcasting signals.

In some embodiments, the method, further includes: forming and/ordisposing a coil antenna on the interconnect layer; tuning the coilantenna to resonate at a frequency generated by a transceiver of a smartdevice; and electrically coupling the coil antenna, and a GPIO port ofthe Bluetooth processor, wherein the coil antenna is configured toreceive RF energy field generated by the transceiver and convert the RFenergy to an AC signal, and transmit the AC signal to the GPIO port ofthe Bluetooth processor waking up the Bluetooth processor, and whereinthe Bluetooth processor begins transmitting a wireless beacon comprisinga startup sequence, having a predefined power level and an identifier ofthe Bluetooth processor and the Bluetooth communication circuit.

In one embodiment, the Bluetooth processor further comprises an ADCconfigured to receive voltages from a conductive surface of the wirelesstape and the Bluetooth processor is further configured to determine arate of change of the voltages from the conductive surface and modulatethe broadcast frequency, at least in part, based on the determined rateof change of the voltages from the conductive plane.

In another embodiment, the Bluetooth processor further comprises an ADCconfigured to receive voltages from a pair of parallel conductivesurfaces of the wireless tape and the Bluetooth processor is furtherconfigured to modulate the broadcast frequency, at least partly, basedon difference between voltages received from the parallel conductivesurfaces.

In some embodiments, the method further includes forming a firstconductive plane and a second conductive plane on the interconnect layerand as a part of an edge of the wireless tape; and further patterningthe interconnect layer to electrically couple the first conductive planeto a terminal of the battery and the second conductive plane to a GPIOport of the Bluetooth processor.

In another embodiment, the method, further includes forming a firstconductive plane and a second conductive plane on opposite edges of thewireless tape and on an external surface of the wireless tape; andfurther patterning the interconnect layer to connect the first andsecond conductive planes to terminals of a GPIO port of the Bluetoothprocessor, and wherein the first and second conductive planes comprisean electrically conductive adhesive layer.

In another aspect, an object tracking system is disclosed. The objecttracking system, includes: the wireless tape; a wireless tapeapplication, comprising program instructions to execute the wirelesstape application on a computer device, and wherein the wireless tapeapplication is configured to: receive the broadcast beacons, comprisinga unique identifier of the wireless tape; query one or more databases todetermine if the wireless tape is associated with a user and/or an item;receive an input from the user comprising a description of an item to betracked; update the one or more databases with an association of theuser and/or the item to be tracked and the unique identifier; andmonitor the broadcast beacons and alert the user if the broadcastbeacons are not received after a threshold period of time.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These drawings and the associated description herein are provided toillustrate specific embodiments of the invention and are not intended tobe limiting.

FIG. 1A illustrates an object tracking system according to anembodiment.

FIG. 1B is a block diagram illustrating more details of a dispenser anda wireless tape, used in the object tracking system.

FIG. 2A illustrates an exemplary method of dispensing the wireless tapefrom the dispenser for tracking objects.

FIG. 2B illustrates an exemplary method of using the object trackingsystem and determining whether to present an alert.

FIG. 3 illustrates some layers and arrangements of the layers in anexample wireless tape according to an embodiment, where a layeredbattery structure is used.

FIG. 4 illustrates a diagram of a wireless tape, which can be paired toa smart device, without using a dedicated NFC pairing chip.

FIG. 5 illustrates a method of Bluetooth pairing of an NFC-enabledwireless tape with a smart device.

FIG. 6 illustrates a diagram of a communication protocol between awireless tape and a smart device, which can enhance the backgroundprocesses of the smart device in relation to the processing of thesignals received from the wireless tape.

FIG. 7 illustrates a method of enhancing the background processes of asmart device in relation to receiving broadcasting signals from thewireless tape.

FIG. 8 illustrates an embodiment of the wireless tape, wherefluctuations in light levels can be used to modulate the frequency ofbroadcasting beacons.

FIG. 9 illustrates a method of using fluctuations in light level tomodulate the frequency of a broadcasting beacon.

FIG. 10 illustrates diagrams of various embodiments to maintain thewireless tape in a low-power state when in storage or before deploymentby a user of the object tacking system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description of certain embodiments presentsvarious descriptions of specific embodiments of the invention. However,the invention can be embodied in a multitude of different ways asdefined and covered by the claims. In this description, reference ismade to the drawings where like reference numerals may indicateidentical or functionally similar elements.

Unless defined otherwise, all terms used herein have the same meaning asare commonly understood by one of skill in the art to which thisinvention belongs. All patents, patent applications and publicationsreferred to throughout the disclosure herein are incorporated byreference in their entirety. In the event that there is a plurality ofdefinitions for a term herein, those in this section prevail. When theterms “one”, “a” or “an” are used in the disclosure, they mean “at leastone” or “one or more”, unless otherwise indicated.

Object Tracking System 100

FIG. 1A illustrates an object tracking system 100 according to anembodiment. A tape dispenser 101 can be used to dispense, a wirelesstape 102 from a reel of rolled up wireless tape 102. The dispenser 101can include a cutting means 115 for detaching wireless tape 102 from itsreel. The wireless tape 102 can include an adhesive layer allowing it tobe affixed to various objects for tracking.

Wireless tape 102 is capable of wireless communication with a smartdevice 103. The smart device 103 may be any kind of computer systemcapable of sending and receiving wireless communication to and from thewireless tape 102. Examples, include smart phones, tablets, smartglasses, smart watches, laptops, desktops, personal digital assistant(PDA) devices and others. In one embodiment, a wireless tape application121 may run on the smart device 103 to manage the operations of one ormore wireless tapes 102. The wireless tape application 121 can includeprogram instructions to wirelessly communicate with the wireless tapes102 and a server 104 via a wired or wireless connection with the network150. The network 150 can be a local-area network, intranet, wide-areanetwork, internet, the Internet, wireless networks, wired networks, aWi-Fi, Bluetooth, cellular network or other networks. The server 104 maybe local to the wireless tape 102 and/or the smart device 103 or it maybe at a remote location.

The wireless tape application 121 may maintain and/or manage a localdatabase 120 on the smart device 103. The local database 120 can storevarious information related to the tracking and management of thewireless tapes 102, such as an identifier for each wireless tape 102,name of an associated item to which the wireless tape is affixed,description and/or images of the item, historical tracking data, anidentifier of the owner/custodian of the item and other information asmay be desired to be stored in relation to a tracked object. The datastored in local database 120 can additionally, instead or partially bestored in a remote database 122 at the server 104. The server 104 mayinclude the remote database 122, which includes information aboutadditional wireless tapes 102 that may be associated with a user andalso other users of wireless tapes 102. Although illustrated as a singleserver 104, the server 104 may be implemented as a plurality ofnetworked servers.

FIG. 1B is a block diagram illustrating more details of the dispenser101 and the wireless tape 102. The dispenser 101 may include a beacon110, comprising a wireless communication system, and a cutting means 115for detaching pieces of wireless tape 102 from a roll of them. Thebeacon 110 can be any wireless communication device, capable oftransmitting and receiving wireless communication signals to and fromthe smart device 103. As described earlier, the dispenser 101 caninclude a cutting means 115 configured to detach wireless tapes 102during dispensing process. In other embodiments, the dispenser 101 canbe a housing enclosing a stack of wireless tapes 102 that are folded ina zig-zag pattern on top of one another. A small slit in the housingallows at least one wireless tape 102 to protrude through the slit,giving a user an ability to tear one wireless tape 102 from the rest ofthe stack. The wireless tapes 102 may be separated by perforation alongwhich a user may tear and separate one wireless tape 102 from the rest.Alternatively, or in addition to perforation, a cutting means at theslit can facilitate separating a wireless tape 102 from the rest.

The wireless tape 102 may comprise a plurality of electronics on aflexible and ultrathin substrate 116. In some embodiments, theelectronics in the wireless tape 102 can include a wirelesscommunication circuit 111, a processor 112, timer 113, battery 114, andmemory module 117, etched, fabricated, bonded or otherwise formed on thesubstrate 116 and connected through an interconnect layer 118. Theinterconnect layer 118 can be any electrically conductive material,including aluminum, copper, gold, silver and others. While the circuitryin the wireless tape 102 are shown as discrete components, the personsof ordinary skill in the art can appreciate that these components can becombined in single or multiple chips, depending according to variousimplementation of the disclosed embodiments. For example, when aBluetooth wireless communication circuit is used to implement thewireless tape 102, the processor 112 can include Bluetooth wirelesscommunication circuitry, and timing circuits, as well as volatile andnon-volatile memory to carry out the operations of the wireless tape102. Alternatively, some components may be integrated, while others canremain as separate components.

Using the Object Tracking System 100

FIG. 2A illustrates an exemplary method 200 of dispensing the wirelesstape 102 from dispenser 101 for tracking objects. The wireless tape 102can be dispensed from a roll of wireless tapes 102 and subsequentlyattached to an item to be tracked. In step 201, the wireless tape 102 isdispensed from the dispenser 101 and simultaneously activated in asingle action. Activation can refer to waking up the processor 112 tosend/receive wireless signals, beacons, packets or other wirelessmessages, using the wireless communication circuit 111. In step 202, thewireless tape 102 may transmit a wireless signal to the smart device103. The wireless signal may be transmitted at predetermined intervalsbased on signal from the timer 113, or may be transmitted based ondetected changes in the environment such as through electrostaticdetection or other mechanisms like ambient light sensing, accelerometeror other methods, as described herein.

The wireless signal transmitted from the wireless tape 102 may include aunique identifier that is encoded in the memory module 117 of theprocessor 112, where the identifier is unique among all the wirelesstape devices. In step 203, the smart device 103 may receive the wirelesssignal from the wireless tape 102. In step 204, configuration and setupof the wireless tape 102 may be performed on the smart device 103. Theconfiguration and setup of a wireless tape 102 can include, which caninclude registering an item to be tracked and associating the item witha unique identifier of the wireless tape 102 and recording theregistration and association in one or more local or remote databases,including local database 120 and the remote database 122. The smartdevice 103 may check for the identifier in the local database 120. Ifthe identifier is located in the local database 120, the smart device103 may display some or all of the stored information about the wirelesstape device and its associated item. Otherwise, the smart device 103 maytransmit a request to the server 104 to query the remote database 122using the identifier. If the identifier is found in the remote database122, then the information about the wireless tape device is retrievedfrom the remote database 122 and transmitted from the server 104 to thesmart device 103 where the information may be displayed. For example,the smart device 103 may display an indication of the owner of thewireless tape 102. Otherwise, if the wireless tape 102 is not found inthe local database 120 nor the remote database 122, then this canindicate that the wireless tape 102 is unassociated with any smartdevice 103 and can be paired to the smart device 103. The smart device103 may prompt the user to pair the wireless tape 102 and thereby claimownership of it. The smart device 103 may display on its screen userinterface elements for entering information about the item that thewireless tape 102 is attached to and/or is going to be tracking. Thesmart device 103 can gather information, such as a name and descriptionof the item. The gathered item information can include text entry, photoof the item, video, voice memo and/or any other data associated with theowner/tracker of the item and/or the item. The gathered item and/orowner data can be stored in the local database 120 and/or in the remotedatabase 122 along with the identifier of the paired wireless tape 102.

FIG. 2B illustrates an exemplary method 220 for using the objecttracking system 100. The method 220 involves the dispenser 101, thesmart device 103, and the wireless tape 102. In step 221, the dispensertransmits a dispenser beacon, using the wireless circuit 110, toindicate the location of the dispenser and a geofence around thatlocation. The dispenser 110 can be activated and send dispenser beaconsby a variety of means, for example, the dispenser 110 may be activatedwhen it first dispenses a wireless tape 102. The geofence may comprisegeographic coordinates defining a 2D or 3D area on a map surrounding thelocation of the dispenser 101. The geofence effectively serves toidentify a base area where it may not be necessary to track items (e.g.,to determine if they are missing). Depending on the implementation ofthe object tracking system 100, places, such as homes, base-office,base-warehouse, or other base locations may be considered areas wheretracking objects are not needed and therefore various resources of theobject tracking system 100 can be conserved. In a base area, items maybe naturally stored in different places so that it is not necessary tocheck for missing items. The dispenser 101 may transmit its beaconrapidly, such as once per second or more in some embodiments. The beaconsignal may optionally include coordinates of the boundary of thegeofence. In other embodiments, the beacon signal may only include thecoordinates of the dispenser, and the smart device may configure andstore the appropriate range considered to be within the geofence. In analternative embodiment, the geofence can be established by signals froman activated wireless tape 102, adhered or placed at a home-baselocation.

In step 222, the smart device 103 may monitor for the dispenser 101beacon. If the dispenser 101 beacon is not received, then the smartdevice 103 may flag its state as not being at the base (step 224).Otherwise, if the beacon is received by the smart device 103, the smartdevice 103 may read the coordinates of the geofence (or in someembodiments generate the coordinates of the geofence). The smart device103 may also identify its own coordinates using location services, suchas Global Positioning System (GPS), Global Navigation Satellite System(GNSS), Wi-Fi positioning, or other location services. The smart device103 may compare its location to the location of the geofence. If thesmart device 103 is within the geofence, then the smart device 103 mayflag its state as being at base (step 223). Otherwise, the smart device103 may determine that it is outside the geofence and flag its state asbeing outside of base (step 224).

In step 225, when the smart device 103 is in an out-of-base state, thesmart device 103 may monitor for beacons from one or more wireless tapes102, which may have been attached to one or more items of interest by auser of the object tracking system 100 and the carrier of the smartdevice 103. In step 230, the wireless tapes 102 in the area may transmittheir beacons. Those beacons may be received by the smart device 103.When the smart device 103 receives the beacon from the wireless tape, itmay read the identifier and retrieve the associated records of thatidentifier from the local database 120. The smart device 103 may thenstore an indication in the local database 120 records that the itemtracked by the wireless tape 102 is present (step 226). This assumptioncan be made because the wireless beacons sent by the wireless tape 102have a short range of, for example, 8-10 feet. The smart device 103 maytrack the elapsed amount of time since a beacon was last received fromeach wireless tape 102 by querying its local database 120. When athreshold amount of time has been exceeded since a beacon was lastreceived from a wireless tape 102, then the smart device 103 may markthe associated item in the local database 120 as not present (step 227).The smart device 103 then determines whether to alert (step 228) or notalert (229) the user of the smart device 103 for an item not beingpresent/found. Alerts may be shown by displays on a screen, with sounds,with haptic feedback, or by any other alert mechanism, using the smartdevice 103.

The process of alerting or not alerting may be determined according tomultiple conditions. In one embodiment, one or more checklists of itemsmay be selected and activated by a user of the smart device 103. Thechecklists may each include one or more items that should be presentwith the user. If an item on the checklist is not present at step 227,then an alert may be generated. In other embodiments, an alert may begenerated if the user initially had an item with him when he left thegeofence at step 224 but, at some point, the smart device 103 detectedthat the item no longer is with him. This may indicate that a user tookan item with him from a base location (such as home or work) and thenlost it. Consequently, an alarm can be generated at step 228, so theuser can look for the time.

In other embodiments, the conditions may be received from a user aboutwhen to alert about the absence of certain items. For example,configurations may be received from a user that alerts for an itemshould only be generated on certain days of the week, at certain timesof day, during certain weather conditions, or various other conditions.In other embodiments, whether the absence of an item should be alertedmay be determined by training a machine learning model. The machinelearning model may be trained using data, such as an indication of whena beacon signal was no longer received (input) and an indication ofwhether the associated item was actually lost (desired output value).The machine learning model may be trained to trigger an alert when anitem is likely to have been actually lost. The machine learning mayanalyze features related to a beacon signal, such as the associateditem, time of day, location, and so on and use that to predict whetheran alert should be generated. Machine learning models that may be usedherein may include Bayesian classifiers, logistic classifiers, logisticregression, linear regression, neural networks, random forests, supportvector machines, and any other machine learning model.

In some cases, the smart device 103 may not receive a beacon signal fromone or more wireless tapes 102 even though they are within range ofabout 8-10 feet, and they have transmitted the beacon signal. This maybe due to RF interference from other devices causing a missed signal. Incases, where a user is about to leave a location, a missed beacon signalfrom a wireless tape 102, can mistakenly indicate an item is missing. Inthese scenarios, it is advantageous, if the user can manually triggerthe wireless tape 102 to send one or more additional beacons to indicateto the presence of the wireless tape 102 and its associated item to theobject tracking system 100. A user may simply tap the wireless tape 102to trigger an immediate wireless beacon. This may be achieved with asensitive switch such that when pressure is applied to an externalsurface of the wireless tape 102, an electrical signal is sent to one ormore of the wireless communication circuit 111, the processor 112 andthe timer 113 to activate one or more of these components and send awireless beacon. Alternatively, a piezo electric material may also beincluded in the wireless tape 102. The piezo electric material can besensitive to haptic signals, for example from a touch or tap, and canemit a signal when activated. That signal from the piezo electricmaterial may also be used to trigger a wake up of one or more additionalcomponents of the wireless tape 102 (e.g., processor 112) to send awireless beacon to the smart device 103.

Wireless Tape 102

Various techniques and material, described herein, can be used tomanufacture the wireless tape 102 in an ultrathin fashion. For example,the inclusion of the battery source in most ultrathin devices can bechallenging. In one embodiment, the wireless tape 102 can bemanufactured as a laminated structure, where a battery source isintegrated in the laminated structure to distribute the batterycomponents between various layers to reduce the overall area consumed bythe battery source and to maintain the flexibility of the wireless tape102.

FIG. 3 illustrates some layers and arrangements of the layers in anexample wireless tape 102 according to an embodiment, where a layeredbattery structure is used. In the embodiment shown, an anode layer 302of the battery powering the wireless tape 102 is the bottom layer. Inone embodiment, the anode layer 302 may be a graphite coated anode in areel-to-reel process. The substrate layer 116 and the components thereonare sandwiched between the anode layer 302 and a photovoltaic layer 310.The photovoltaic layer 310 can be formed from a lattice of an organicphotovoltaic (OPV) material or other solar energy harvesting material.The interconnect layer 118 formed on the substrate 116 can function as acathode of the battery powering the electronics 306 of the wireless tape102. A battery pouch 308 containing electrochemical components of thebattery can be formed on the interconnect 118. The substrate 116 can bean ultrathin and flexible material such as a polyester or Polyethyleneterephthalate (PET). The interconnect layer 118 can be coated with aconductive metal, such aluminum. The battery pouch 308 can bemanufactured by coating the interconnect 118 in the battery portion byan active lithium compound, such as lithium manganese dioxide. Thewireless tape 102 can also include an adhesive layer 304 to allow thewireless tape 102 to be affixed to an item for tracking or otherpurposes.

The electronics 306 can include various components depending on theimplementation of the wireless tape 102. For example, if thephotovoltaic layer 310 is used, the electronics 306 can includecircuitry to harvest and utilize light energy absorbed from that layerto power the electronics 306. If manual beacon trigger feature isincluded, the electronics 306 can include an associated switch and/orpiezo electric sensors. The electronics 306 can include the componentsof the wireless tape 102 as described above. Examples include, thewireless communication circuit 111, the processor 112, the timer 113 andthe memory 117. These components can be discrete, separate components orthey can be part of an integrated circuit implementing theirfunctionality in one or multiple chips. In some embodiments, as will bedescribed the electronics 306 can include an analog to digital converter(ADC). Additional electrical components 306, depending on theimplementation of the wireless tape 102 can include, a near fieldcommunication chip (NFC), sensors (e.g., sensors for detecting ambientlight, motion, acceleration, temperature, etc.). While not shown, theinterconnect layer 118 can be patterned in a manner to provideelectrical connection and/or isolation between the electrical components306 of the wireless tape 102. The layers shown are for example purposesonly and persons of ordinary skill in the art can envision that thewireless tape 102 may be manufactured with more or fewer layers thanthose shown.

Example Dimensions and Components of Wireless Tape 102

Embodiments of the wireless tape 102 may be constructed in various ways.One embodiment of the wireless tape 102 is a paper-thin label thatcomprises ultrathin electronics printed or etched on laminated layers ofa polyester film (e.g., PET), as described earlier. In some embodiments,the thickness of the wireless tape 102, including the layers and theelectronics therein, depending on the implementation, can range fromapproximately 1/20th of a millimeter, to half a millimeter. Theelectronics 306 may be etched or printed into the interconnect layer118, or they may be attached or otherwise bonded to the interconnectlayer 118, as separate chips or circuits or as various integrated orseparate components, depending on the implementation. In someembodiments, the wireless tape 102 is designed to transmit its beacon atintervals using a timer 113 as shown in FIG. 1B. This design may saveenergy by keeping the electronics 306 on the wireless tape 102,including the processor 112 and wireless communications chip 111, in alower power or off state until they are awakened at intervals by thetimer 113. When the timer 113 signals an active state, the signal isused to turn on or signal the processor 112 to activate and send awireless beacon. In one embodiment, the wireless beacon is formatted asa standard Bluetooth low energy (BLE) signal and/or an iBeacon. In anembodiment, the timer 113 is a Texas Instruments TPL5110 and drawscurrent of approximately 35 nano amperes (nA) or less. Texas Instrumentsof Dallas, Tex., can be reached at (972-995-2011). The timer 113 isconfigured to turn on or signal the processor 112 at intervals, such asevery ten seconds. In some embodiments, the timer 113 may be set toactivate at a rate between every five to ten seconds, five to fifteenseconds, five to twenty seconds, two to twenty seconds, one to thirtyseconds, or one to sixty seconds. In an embodiment, the processor 112 isthe Nordic Semiconductor, nRF52810 manufactured by Nordic SemiconductorASA of Trondheim, Norway (+47 72 89 89 00). As will be described, someembodiments of the wireless tape 102 may send wireless beacons based onsensor data, instead of or in addition to input signal from the timer113. Consequently, in some embodiments, the timer 113 can be optional.

To help achieve an ultrathin form factor for the wireless tape 102, oneor more of the surface areas of the battery pouch 308, the anode layer302 or the cathode layer (e.g., some or a portion of the interconnectlayer 118) can be used as a wireless communication antenna, instead of atraditional dedicated antenna component (such as a printed antenna). Forexample, in some embodiments, the surface area of the battery pouch 308comprises a substantial area within the wireless tape 102 and canfunction additionally as a wireless antenna component to radiatewireless beacons. When a Nordic nRF52810 or similar processors 112 areused, the wireless balun at the analog output of the processor 112 canbe connected to an outside metal foil of the battery pouch 308, or theanode layer 302 or to the interconnect layer 118 and/or a portionthereof, where these components can additionally function as an antenna.

The wireless tape 102 may be designed with an adhesive layer to attachthe wireless tape 102 to a surface of an item of interest to track theitem. In one embodiment, As described, the wireless tapes 102, in someembodiments, can be fabricated on a very flexible substrate 116 (e.g., aPET substrate), with a thin, flexible, lithium primary battery sourceprinted or laminated directly to a flexible coated interconnect layer118, therein. In one embodiment, the battery may be printed into theinterconnect layer 118.

In one embodiment, the wireless tape 102 may be designed to adhere to arange of surfaces and things. In an embodiment, one or both sides of thewireless tape 102 are coated with an adhesive to allow sticking to otherobjects. Similar to a piece of common tape, wireless tapes 102 can bemanufactured on a roll of substrate and perforated on their edges todelineate each individual wireless tape 102. The wireless tapes 102 canbe manufactured with the ability to tape back on itself, forming a loopto securely attach the wireless tape 102 to items, such as cables.Persons of ordinary skill in the art can envision other mechanical formfactors for the wireless tape 102 to facilitate adhering the wirelesstapes 102 to items of various shapes, sizes and textures.

Methods of Pairing Wireless Tape 102 with Smart Device 103

In one embodiment, the wireless communication circuit 111 can beactivated and paired with the smart device 103 usingnear-field-communication (NFC). NFC can be used to wirelesslycommunicate data stored on ID cards, payment devices, information tagsand other memory-embedded devices. In one respect, NFC provides a way offor a communicating device to send short bits of information at closedistances without the need for the communicating device to draw powerfrom a battery for sending that information. Instead, an NFC-enabledcommunicating device relies upon the radio frequency (RF) energy fieldof a reader device to generate sufficient energy that can be harvestedby a silicon-based NFC chip to read/write to a memory device, and thenreflect the information stored in the memory back to the reader.

NFC can be employed to pair NFC-enabled Bluetooth devices such asinternet of things (TOT) appliances, wearables or other devices withuser accounts on mobile phones. The pairing process can also pair thesedevices with backend databases associated with the user account. Thisworks by users touching or bringing their smart devices (e.g., a smartphone) in close proximity to an NFC-enabled Bluetooth device. A coilantenna on a circuit board inside the NFC-enabled Bluetooth devicereceives and converts the RF energy field of the user's smart device toan electrical signal, which can turn on an NFC chip inside theNFC-enabled Bluetooth device. Example NFC chips include NTAG213,NTAG214, NTAG215, manufactured by NXP Semiconductors N.V. of Eindhoven,Netherlands (https://www.nxp.com/). Using the same energy harvestedthrough the coil, the NFC chip can return to the smart device of theuser, an NFC unique identifier. This NFC unique identifier is linked viaa backend software (e.g., a database) to the Bluetooth identifier of theNFC-enabled Bluetooth device (e.g., at the time of manufacturing thatproduct). The user's smart device can use the Bluetooth identifier topair with the NFC-enabled Bluetooth device and communicate with it viaBluetooth. The pairing information can also be used to associate theNFC-enabled Bluetooth device with the user's profile and account in abackend a backend database.

The NFC method of pairing described above can be used to pair a wirelesstape 102 with a user's smart device 103, thereby eliminating the needfor continuous broadcast of wireless beacons for pairing. Compared tocontinuous broadcast methods for pairing, the NFC method of pairing awireless tape 102 and a smart device 103 consumes no battery power andprolongs the life of the wireless tape 102. Additionally, the describedNFC pairing technique, can prevent multiple users from simultaneouslypairing with the same wireless tape 102 because only the user whosesmart device 103 is held within close proximity of the NFC-enabledwireless tape 102 (e.g., within 2-3 centimeters range of the wirelesstape 102) can receive the NFC unique identifier and pair with thatwireless tape 102.

However, in some implementations, the inclusion of an NFC chip (such asNTAG213) can add to manufacturing cost of the wireless tape 102, and/orthe chip area dedicated to circuitry for pairing. Consequently, it isadvantageous to utilize NFC techniques of pairing a wireless tape 102 toa smart device 103, without the use of a dedicated NFC chip for pairing.

FIG. 4 illustrates a diagram 400 of a wireless tape 102, which can bepaired to a smart device 103, without using a dedicated NFC pairingchip. As described earlier, the electronics of the wireless tape 102 canbe manufactured on an interconnect layer 118, which is patterned tocreate electrical connections and isolation between various electricalcomponents on the interconnect layer 118. The diagram 400 does notillustrate every component and layers of an NFC-enabled wireless tape102. Only some components are shown to illustrate Bluetooth pairingusing NFC, without a dedicated NFC chip. An NFC coil antenna 402 and anRF energy harvesting circuit 404 can be manufactured on the interconnectlayer 118. A user's smart device 103 is equipped with an NFC transceiver406 capable of generating and transmitting an RF energy field withwake-up frequency (WUF). The coil antenna 402 is tuned to resonate atthe wake-up frequency, WUF sent by the transceiver 406. In someembodiments, the NFC energy harvesting circuit 404 can includecomponents, such as one or more capacitors, and rectifiers to convert analternating current (AC) signal generated in the coil antenna 402 to adirect current (DC) signal by which the processor 112 can be awakened.In another embodiment, the NFC energy harvesting circuit 404 can includecomponents that capture a wake-up voltage 408 from the coil antenna 402and transmit the wake-up voltage 408 to the processor 112 to wake up theprocessor 112. In another embodiment, the NFC energy harvesting circuit404 and some or all components therein can be skipped. In this scenario,the wake-up AC voltage generated in the coil antenna 402 can be used todirectly wake up the processor 112, without converting AC voltages to DCvoltages. Advantages of eliminating some or all of the components of theNFC energy harvesting circuit 404, include, lowering manufacturing costand complexity of the NFC-enabled wireless tape 102. In otherembodiments, some or all of the components of the NFC energy harvestingcircuit 404 can be integrated in the processor 112, when the processor112 is implemented as a system on chip (SOC) solution.

FIG. 5 illustrates a method 500 of Bluetooth pairing of an NFC-enabledwireless tape 102 with a smart device 103. The processor 112 can be aBluetooth microprocessor, such as Nordic Semiconductor, nRF52810, asdescribed above, and the wireless communication circuit 111 can be aBluetooth communication circuit. While the processor 112 and thewireless communication circuit 111 are shown as separate components, insome implementations, they can be part of an integrated Bluetooth chip.The processor 112 includes a general-purpose input/output (GPIO) portcapable of receiving GPIO signals. The smart device 103 can beconfigured to execute program instructions to run the wireless tapeapplication 121. The wireless tape application 121 can configure thetransceiver 406 to resonate at the wake-up frequency, WUF. The method500 starts at the step 502. At step 504, the user of the smart device103 executes the wireless tape application 121 and brings the smartdevice 103 in close proximity (e.g., approximately within a 5-centimeterrange) of the coil antenna 402 of the wireless tape 102. At step 506,the transceiver 406 generates and transmits an RF energy field at thewake-up frequency, WUF. The coil antenna 402 is tuned to resonate at thewake-up frequency, WUF. At step 508, the coil antenna 402 resonates atthe wake-up frequency, WUF, and a wake-up voltage 408 is generated andtransmitted to a GPIO port of the processor 112.

In some embodiments, the NFC energy harvesting circuit 404 can includecomponents that convert the wake-up AC voltage 408 to a DC voltage.However, both a DC or AC voltage can be used at a GPIO port of theprocessor 112 to wake up the processor 112. For example, in someimplementations, voltages (DC or AC) above 0.7 Volts (V) at the GPIOport, can wake up the processor 112. In some instances, a conversion ofthe wake-up AC voltage 408 to a DC voltage may be desirable to protectthe processor 112 from potentially receiving an unsafely high voltage.Nevertheless, the AC to DC conversion in some embodiments can be safelyskipped because the range of voltages the NFC-enabled wireless tape 102and the coil antenna 402 encounter, most likely, do not exceed thelevels that may be unsafe for the processor 112. As a result, thewake-up AC voltage 408 generated in the coil antenna 402 can be appliedto the GPIO port of the processor 112, without conversion. In thisscenario, the NFC-enabled wireless tape 102 can be manufactured, withoutthe components, cost and complexity of converting NFC voltages.

In implementations, where a threshold voltage to wake up the processor112 is higher than the range of voltages the coil antenna 402 cangenerate, a comparator circuit as an external component or as anintegrated component in the processor 112, as part of a system on chip(SOC) solution, can receive the wake-up signal and wake up one or moreadditional circuits in the processor 112. For example, in someimplementations the processor 112 can wake up when it receives a voltageabove a wake-up threshold voltage of approximately 0.7V, where theantenna coil 402 can generate voltages of approximately 0.3-0.4V orlower. A comparator circuit can detect low voltages generated from theantenna coil 402 (e.g., as low as approximately 1.8V in someimplementations) and wake up the rest of the circuitry in the processor112.

At step 512, the processor 112 receives the wake-up voltage 408 at itsGPIO port and is awakened from an inactive state (e.g., a deep shutdownstate). At step 514, the processor 112 uses the wireless communicationcircuit 111 to send a sequence of Bluetooth beacons 412 (e.g., via lowpowered BLE signals), which can be received by the wirelesscommunication facilities of the smart device 103. The wirelessfacilities of the smart device 103 can include Bluetooth communicationcircuits 414. The Bluetooth beacons 412 can include a Bluetoothidentifier, and/or other information which may be included in thepairing process. For example, the Bluetooth beacons 412 can include aunique identifier of the wireless tape 102. At step 516, the wirelesstape application 121 can receive the information embedded in theBluetooth beacon 412 and use them to associate the wireless tape 102with the user profile of the wireless tape application 121 and the smartdevice 103. The method 500 ends at the step 518.

In some embodiments, the Bluetooth beacons 412 can be customized tofurther identify the wireless tape 102 and/or other information to beincluded in the pairing process. For example, the Bluetooth beacons 412can comprise an initial startup sequence having a pre-defined sequenceand/or having a predefined power-level, also identified and recorded inthe wireless tape application 121. Such information can be uploaded viathe wireless tape application 121 upon purchase of a roll of wirelessapplication tapes 102, the dispenser 101 and stored in the localdatabase 120 and/or remote database 122. In some embodiments, a cameraof the smart device 103 can be used to scan a barcode from a dispenser101 or from a roll of wireless tapes 102, where the barcode can includepairing information associated with the wireless tapes 102.

While the method 500 is described in the context of pairing Bluetoothdevices, persons of ordinary skill in the art can appreciate that thedescribed systems and methods can be modified to apply to othercommunication protocols, such as radio frequency identification (RFID)and others. Additionally, while the described systems and methods of NFCpairing, without a dedicated NFC chip, is described in the context ofpairing of wireless tapes 102, the persons of ordinary skill in the artcan appreciate that the described technology can be used in otherapplications, where pairing of wireless devices are desired. Forexample, in many applications, wireless device pairings are performedinfrequently or only once in the lifetime of the product. At the sametime, the cost of an NFC chip used infrequently or only once for aninitial pairing, may be prohibitive in several applications. Thedescribed technology can be used in these and other scenarios, wherepairing of wireless devices is desired.

Method for Enhancing Background Performance of Bluetooth BeaconProximity Detection

The Bluetooth communication protocol allows and defines an advertisingwireless signal by which Bluetooth-enabled devices can broadcast theirpresence and availability for connection and communication. OtherBluetooth-enabled devices, such as mobile phones, smart phones and otherBluetooth devices can listen for these advertising signals to determinethe presence of Bluetooth-enabled products and can send follow-upmessages to those products to inquire about services they can acquirefrom them. The advertising signals can be connectable ornon-connectable. In either case, both types of advertising signals canbe used to determine presence and/or proximity. Operating systems ofsmart devices have special provisions to listen for and detect Bluetoothadvertising signals. For example, Apple operating systems detect theadvertising signals generated using Apple's iBeacon and Google operatingsystems detect the advertising signals generated using Google'sEddystone. Both companies have built provisions in their operatingsystems to detect and to be responsive to these advertising signals in astandard BLE beacon formatted packet. These advertising signals havealso been used across many industries for marketing purposes because theadvertising signals can indicate the presence and in some cases positiondata of a customer's mobile phone, based on the strength of theadvertising signal received.

At the same time, a mobile phone or other smart devices which monitorand listen for advertising signals from other Bluetooth devices canwaste power from their battery sources, when no other advertisingBluetooth devices may be present. In many cases, there may not be anearby advertising device. In the case of mobile phones, manufacturersand operating system designers are concerned about such scenarios thatlead to inefficient use of battery power in their devices. As a result,most mobile phone manufacturers and operating system designers buildprovisions in their devices and systems to limit the amount of timetheir devices are in a state of listening for advertising signals fromother devices. At the same time, in order to further save battery power,most battery-operated smart devices, such as smart mobile phones, andtheir operating systems optimize their background processes to ignore,remove or otherwise limit the resources allocated to redundant and/orredundant background processes or background processes that the devicemay determine to be redundant or less critical, such as listening foradvertising signals from other Bluetooth devices.

Mobile phones ignoring broadcasting signals from other devices orlimiting background processes associated with them can present achallenge for non-marketing applications, such as asset tracking usingwireless labels. The battery resources of wireless labels can be limitedand it is advantages that a target mobile phone or smart devicereceiving these broadcast messages, receives them and affords them ahigher priority in processing. Otherwise, the wireless label may need tosend multiple broadcast signals and waste its limited battery power inorder to connect/communicate with a mobile phone or smart device.

FIG. 6 illustrates a diagram of a communication protocol between awireless tape 102 and a smart device 103, which can enhance thebackground processes of the smart device 103 in relation to theprocessing of the signals received from the wireless tape 102. In oneembodiment, the wireless tape 102 can modify its broadcasting signals602 to simulate multiple devices sending them. The operating systems ofthe smart device 103 and similar devices are more likely to listen andallocate more background processes to received broadcasting signals 602if they appear to be from new devices that they have not listened tobefore and/or have not processed before. In other words, in thedescribed embodiment, the broadcasting signals 602 are not redundant.The redundancy in the broadcasting signals 602 can be removed by avariety of means.

In one embodiment, the media access controller (MAC) address and/or theuniversally unique identifier (UUID) of the wireless communicationcircuit 111 can be programmatically modified based on a predefinedmodification algorithm (PMA). If broadcasting signals 602 have varyingMAC address and/or varying UUID, the operating system of the smartdevice 103 perceives the broadcasting signals 602 to have come fromdifferent products, which it may have not previously encountered before.Consequently, the operating system of the smart device 103 allocatesmore background processes and resources to listening, collecting andotherwise processing of the broadcasting signals 602.

The wireless tape application 121, locally and/or in combination withthe server 104 can receive the broadcasting signals 602 and resolve thatthey are from wireless tape 102, based on the predefined modificationalgorithm (PMA). For example, in one embodiment, the PMA can be toincrement the UUID of every 10 broadcasting signals 602 (where eachbroadcasting signal 602 comprises a packet) monotonically by apredefined value (e.g., by one). The operating system of the smartdevice 103 treats the broadcasting signals 602 with higher prioritysince they have different UUIDs and appear to be from different devices.However, the wireless tape application 121, having the PMA can resolvethat every 10 broadcasting signals 602 are from the wireless tape 102.Other PMAs can also be used. For example, the MAC address and/or theUUID amongst a sequence of broadcasting signals 602 can be modifiedbased on an algebraic expression, where the wireless tape applicationcan use the algebraic expression to derive the original MAC addressand/or UUID. In another embodiment, the PMA can be an algorithm thatrandomizes the MAC address and/or UUID in a sequence of broadcastingsignals 602. Yet in other embodiments, hopping and/or omitting MACaddresses and/or UUIDs from a predefined pool of MAC addresses and/orUUIDs can be used.

FIG. 7 illustrates a method 700 of enhancing the background processes ofa smart device 103 in relation to receiving broadcasting signals 602from the wireless tape 102. The method 700 starts at step 702. At step704, a sequence of broadcasting signals 602, comprising a predeterminednumber of broadcasting signals 602 are selected. In one embodiment, abroadcasting signal 602 is a BLE beacon formatted packet. At step 706,the broadcasting signals 602 in the sequence are modified according to aPMA. In some embodiment, the PMA modifies the MAC address and/or theUUID embedded in one or more broadcasting signals 602. At step 708, thewireless tape 102 transmits the sequence of the modified broadcastingsignals 602 to a smart device 103. At step 710, the smart device 103 canreceive the modified broadcasting signals 602 and route them to thewireless tape application 121. The smart device 103 is more likely toreceive some or all of the transmitted sequence of modified broadcastingsignals 602 because they appear to be from different sources. At step712, the wireless tape application 121 can receive the sequence ofmodified broadcasting signals 602 and determine locally and/or incombination with the server 104, and based on the PMA, that the modifiedbroadcasting signals 602 are from the wireless tape 102. For example, insome embodiments, the wireless tape application 121 and/or the server104 can apply a reconstructing algorithm based on the PMA to reconstructthe original MAC addresses and/or UUIDs of the received modifiedbroadcasting signals 602. The method 700 ends at step 714.

The described method of increasing background performance of smartdevices 103 in relation to receiving and processing Bluetoothbroadcasting signals 602 from the wireless tapes 102 can provide moreresolution of data received at the smart device 103 because the receivepath on the smart device 103 remains open longer and greater number ofbroadcasting signals 602 are received at the smart device 103. Inaddition to saving the battery power resources of the wireless tape 102,the greater resolution of the received data can have advantages, such asgreater ability to use the broadcasting signals 602 for positioning of atracked item with greater accuracy.

Method of Achieving Ultra-Low Power Using Changing Ambient Light Levelsto Trigger Power Saving States in a Microprocessor-Based Device

For many wireless devices (e.g., IOT devices) conserving battery powercan be paramount. To maintain an ultrathin profile, many devices use aprimary source. When the batter is exhausted, the battery or the devicehave to be replaced. In many applications, it is often the device thathas to be replaced, as changing the used batteries is not a practicaloption. As a result, many modern wireless devices need to conservebattery to achieve longer product life span. Nonetheless, many wirelessdevices broadcast their beacon on periodic basis, whether or not alistening device can capture their beacon. This scenario presents achallenge for applications where the broadcasting device has limitedbattery resources. For example, it is advantageous for an ultrathinprofile wireless tape 102, used for tracking items, to broadcast itsbeacons when a smart device 103 is in the vicinity and capable ofreceiving the beacons and communicating with the wireless tape 102. Itis also advantageous for the wireless tape 102 to limit or stop sendingbroadcasting beacons, when no smart device 103 is in the vicinity toreceive the beacons. Additionally, it is desirable to increase thefrequency at which the wireless tape 102 broadcasts its beacons if asmart device 103 is in the vicinity and able to receive and processthose beacons. Conversely, it is advantageous to reduce the frequency of(or stop) sending the beacons if no smart device 103 is in the vicinityto receive the beacons.

Sensors can be used to modulate the broadcasting of beacons and/or theirsending frequency in order to save battery resources. For example,vibration or motion sensors can be used in wireless devices (such as thewireless tape 102) to trigger and/or to modulate the sending frequencyof broadcasting beacons emitted from the wireless device. If sensorsdetect motion and/or vibration, the wireless device can increase thefrequency of sending broadcasting beacons. However, in someapplications, the sensors consume more battery resources than they save.For example, in some applications, motion sensing with passive infrared(PIR) or similar motion sensors and motion sensing with an accelerometerto save battery resources can task the battery resources more than theysave the battery resources. Yet in other applications, the cost of theadditional sensors can be prohibitive in relation to the overall targetcost of the product, thus making the use of these sensors impractical.For other wireless devices, the form factor and sizes of these sensorscan be incompatible with their form factor or design.

In the case of wireless devices that operate by NFC, solar or otherenergy harvesting methods, the battery resources can be limited. Thus,it is advantageous to reduce or minimize broadcasting beacons, when nolistening smart device 103 is in the vicinity.

In one embodiment, fluctuations of light levels in the environment of awireless device can be used to modulate the frequency of broadcastingbeacons. In this scenario, fluctuations in light levels in theenvironment can indicate the presence of a listening smart device 103.For example, when wireless device, such as the wireless tape 102 is usedfor asset tracking, the wireless tape 102 may be attached to an item,which is placed in a delivery van, a work truck, a supply room or otherphysical locations, where that item and the attached wireless tape 102are stored. When a person carrying the smart device 103, who has aninterest in the tracked item, enters the physical location where theitem and the attached wireless tape 102 are located, the environmentlikely can experience fluctuations in light level. For example, anautomatic motion sensor in the environment can turn the lights on, whenthe person enters the environment. Or when the person opens the door toa storage area (such as the cargo compartment of a van or truck), thestorage area, where the tracked item and wireless tape 102 are locatedcan be exposed to outside light and experience fluctuations in lightlevels.

FIG. 8 illustrates an embodiment of the wireless tape 102, wherefluctuations in light levels can be used to modulate the frequency ofbroadcasting beacons. The wireless tape 102 in this scenario includes aphotovoltaic layer 310 (as described in relation to FIG. 3) and anenergy harvesting circuit 802. Fluctuations in light levels can occurdue to the photovoltaic layer 310's exposure to various light sources804. The photovoltaic layer 310 and the energy harvesting circuit 802convert light to an electrical signal 804 (e.g., a voltage or current),which can be received by the processor 112. The processor 112 canmodulate the frequency of beacons sent from the wireless communicationcircuit 111, based on the value of the electrical signal 804. Forexample, the processor 112 can increase the frequency of broadcastingbeacons, based on a rate of increase in the voltage received in theelectrical signal 804. Accordingly, when a person carrying a smartdevice 103 enters the environment of the wireless tape 102 and exposesthe photovoltaic layer 310 to fluctuations of light levels, the voltagegenerated by the energy harvesting circuit 802 can increase at a rapidrate, R1. The processor 112 can correspondingly increase the rate ofbroadcasting beacons from the wireless communication circuit 111 at therate R1 or to an increased rate based on R1. In this manner, theincreased broadcasting beacons have a better chance of detection by thesmart device 103.

Conversely, if light fluctuations in the environment of the photovoltaiclayer 310 is minimal, the voltage/current of the electrical signal 804does not change or changes at a reduced rate, R2. The processor 112 canadjust the frequency of broadcasting beacons from the wirelesscommunication circuit 111 to be at the reduced rate, R2 or anotherreduced rate based on R2. If R2 is zero, the frequency of broadcastingthe beacons can be also zero or a reduced amount (e.g., every thirtyseconds) in order to conserve the battery energy. In some embodiments,the electrical signal 804 can be used to wake up the processor 112 andbegin broadcasting beacons.

FIG. 9 illustrates a method 900 of using fluctuations in light level tomodulate the frequency of a broadcasting beacon. The method 900 startsat step 902. At step 904, the photovoltaic layer 310 and the energyharvesting circuit 802 generate an electrical signal by converting lightenergy from various light sources 804. At step 906, the processor 112receives the electrical signal 804 and determines a rate of change ofthe electrical signal 804, based on fluctuations in converted lightenergy. At step 908, the processor 112 modulates the frequency of thebroadcasting beacons sent from the wireless communication circuit 111,based on the determined rate. The method 900 ends at step 910.

Methods of Modulating the Frequency of Broadcasting Beacons from theWireless Tape 102

Since the ultrathin form factor of wireless tape 102 can limit thebattery size and capacity, ultra-low-power methods may be employed tooptimize how beacons are sent from the wireless tape 102. Continuouslysending wireless beacons even at a very low frequency can consume aconsiderable amount of power, unnecessarily, if no smart device 103 orreceiving/listening device is present within range to listen for thewireless beacons. Therefore, it is advantageous to not send wirelessbeacons when no person carrying the smart device 103 is in the vicinity.An approach is employed to achieve this by taking advantage of theelectrostatic effects on the wireless tape 102, when the environmentaround the wireless tape 102 changes. For instance, those changes mightinclude, touching, moving, obscuring an item with the attached wirelesstape 102, or even walking-by or touching another item nearby can allhave an effect on the voltage potential present over various surfaceareas of the wireless tape 102. In one respect, the wireless tape 102can function as a layered capacitor, whose charge level can be detectedand used to modulate the frequency of wireless beacons it sends.

Changes in the voltage present on one or more surfaces of the wirelesstape 102 can be measured by an analog-to-digital converter (ADC)periodically, or one or more conductive surfaces of the wireless tape102 may be connected as inputs to a comparator circuit to trigger a wakeup. Referring now to FIG. 3, electronics 306 can include a processor112, which can in turn include an ADC and/or a comparator circuit. TheADC can periodically sample voltages/currents from at least one of theelectrically conductive surfaces of the wireless tape 102. Examplesurfaces, which can be used include the interconnect layer 118 and/orthe anode layer 302. A direct high-impedance connection can be made froman input of the ADC to the conductive surface in order to savemanufacturing costs. The rate of change of voltages/currents received atthe input of the ADC can be monitored among a plurality of sampled inputdata. If the rate changes more than a predetermined threshold betweenthe samples, it can be inferred that something in the environment of thewireless tape 102 has changed, with a likelihood that those changes werecaused by human motion, indicating the presence of a person. Sincepeople carry smart devices 103 with them, the wireless tape 102 cancorrespondingly increase the frequency of broadcasting wireless beaconswhen changes that are likely due to human presence are detected asdescribed above. In this manner, there is a higher likelihood that theincreased broadcasting beacons can be received by a smart device 103.

The method of measuring the electrostatic potential obtained from asingle conductive plane within the wireless tape 102, in some cases, canbe prone to interference and error from noise. In particular, the 50-60Hz noise due to power line noise can be present in many environments,causing errors in detecting a voltage/current change due to anenvironmental change indicative of human presence. At the same time, toconserve the battery resources of the wireless tape 102, it may not bedesirable to sample the surface voltage/current at an increased rate inthe processor 112 and remove the noise digitally. Furthermore, costconstraints, can make filtering with added electrical components also aless desirable option. Therefore, one embodiment uses a differential ADCsampling method by receiving two inputs from two adjacent conductiveplanes of the wireless tape 102 to detect and reject the common modenoise. Voltage/current changes can be measured differentially. The ADCcan measure the voltages/currents on the two conductive surfaces (e.g.,the interconnect layer 118 and the anode layer 302 or other conductiveparallel plates in wireless tape 102) and the readings can be passed assignals to the processor 112. When the processor 112 determines that thedifference between the readings exceeds a predetermined threshold, thenthis can indicate a change in the environment and the processor canmodulate the frequency of broadcasting beacons accordingly.

Another method of reducing noise and increasing reliability is to samplemultiple, electrically isolated planes of the wireless tape 102, eitherwithin a sample plane or within parallel planes (e.g., between parallelplanes that form a capacitor within the wireless tape 102) and averagethe readings from the multiple planes. Since in some embodiments, thewireless tape 102 can resemble a capacitor, after a change in theenvironment of the wireless tape 102 causes a voltage differential tooccur in the parallel plates of the capacitor, the time constant of thecapacitor formed by parallel planes within the wireless tape 102discharges to a stable equilibrium. The time constant parameter can bemeasured or derived from the voltage readings and a rate of frequency ofbroadcast of beacons can be correspondingly adjusted.

Additional Methods of Activating the Wireless Tape 102

It is advantageous to conserve the battery resources of the wirelesstape 102 by maintaining the electronics 306 in a low-power of off-state,until the wireless tape 102 is to be used. FIG. 10 illustrates diagramsof various embodiments to maintain the wireless tape 102 in a low-powerstate when in storage or before deployment by a user of the objecttacking system 100. In one embodiment, two conductive planes 1002 and1004 can be patterned on the interconnect layer 118 or in one or morelayers of the wireless tape 102 in a manner that the conductive planes1002 and 1004 form a part of an edge 1006 of the wireless tape 102. Theedge 1006 can be an edge between two discrete wireless tapes 102 (e.g.,from a roll of wireless tapes 102). A metal cutting means 115 can shearthe roll of wireless tapes 102 and separate them at edge 1006. The sameprocess can be utilized to activate/wake-up the processor 112 and/orother electronics of the wireless tape 102. The interconnect layer 118is patterned to electrically connect the conductive plane 1002 to a GPIOport of the processor 112 and the conductive plane 1004 to the battery114. For ease of illustration, the battery 114 is shown as a singlecomponent on the interconnect layer 118. However, as described earlierin relation to FIG. 3, the battery 114 can be a layered structure onmultiple layers of the wireless tape 102. The cutting means 115 can bemade of a metal material, which can electrically connect the conductiveplanes 1002 and 1004 during the shearing of the edge 1006, therebygenerating a signal at the GPIO port of the processor 112 from thebattery 114. The signal at the GPIO port of the processor 112 canwake-up and activate the processor 112. The processor 112 can sendbeacons to nearby smart devices 103 for connection and communication.

In another embodiment, the conductive planes 1002 and 1004 can bepatterned on the same surface of the interconnect 118 and on theopposite edges 1014 and 1016 of the wireless tape 102, respectively. Theconductive planes 1002 and 1004 can be electrically connected toconductive planes 1008, 1010, respectively. The conductive planes 1008and 1010 are formed on an external surface 1018 of the wireless tape102, from an electrically conductive and adhesive material, on theopposite edges 1014 and 1016 of the wireless tape 102, respectively. Theconductive planes 1002 and 1004 and the conductive planes 1008 and 1010are electrically coupled via interconnect patterns in the interconnectlayer 118 to the terminals of a GPIO port 1012 of the processor 112. Inthis arrangement, the conductive planes 1002, 1004, 1008 and 1010 forman open switch between the terminals of the GPIO port 1012. When a userof the wireless tape 102 intends to activate the wireless tape 102, hecan bring the opposite edges 1014 and 1016 of the wireless tape 102together and adhere the conductive planes 1008 and 1010 together.Connecting the conductive planes 1008 and 1010 closes the switch andconnects the terminals of the GPIO port 1012, generating a signal in theprocessor 112 and causing the processor 112 to wake up and begintransmitting beacons for connection and communication. In anotherembodiment, the conductive planes 1008 and 1010 from the externalsurface 1018 of the wireless tape 102 can be routed to the terminals ofthe GPIO port 1012, directly or via interconnect patterns in theinterconnect layer 118. In this scenario, the conductive planes 1002 and1004 on the interconnect layer 118 can be excluded and not manufactured.

Example Applications of the Object Tracking System 100

In one embodiment, a process of setup and configuration of the wirelesstape 102 can configure a wireless tape 102 to track an item. Thewireless tape application 121 can be running in the background. When awireless beacon from a wireless tape 102 is received. The wireless tapeapplication 121, can determine whether it has encountered this wirelesstape 102 before. If it is determined that the wireless tape 102 isencountered for the first time, the wireless tape application 121 canprompt the user to assign the wireless tape 102 to an item the userwishes to track. The user can also physically affix the wireless tape102 to the item using the adhesive layer 304. Upon reception of anybeacon from a wireless tape 102 at the device 103, the wireless tapeapplication 102 can query the local database 120 to determine if thebeaconing wireless tape 102 is already registered and configured withthe wireless tape application 121. If the wireless tape 102 is notregistered, the wireless tape application 121 can query the remotedatabase 122 to determine if the wireless tape 102 has been registeredwith another user. If neither is true, the wireless tape application 121prompts the user for additional information regarding the item andregisters the wireless tape 102 with the user and the associated item.In some embodiments, the use can provide a descriptive text string, suchas, “passport,” or “umbrella.” In other embodiments, the user may use acamera device of the smart device 103 to capture an image of the item,which can be associated with the wireless tape 102.

The prompt for additional information during registration of a wirelesstape 102 and its associated item, may also give the user options to sethow the wireless tape application 121 should behave as to the associateditem. For instance, the wireless tape application 121 can be configuredto send reminders regarding a tracked item if some predefined conditionsare met. For example, the wireless tape application 121 can beconfigured to remind a user to bring a tagged passport on a future date,if on that date, the tagged passport is not detected to be with theuser, to bring a tagged umbrella if rain is expected in the weatherforecast and the tagged umbrella is not detected to be with the user, asthe user leaves the home-base geofence.

In some embodiments, the setup process of a wireless tape 102 caninclude a machine learning mechanism to reduce the need for user inputduring the setup of the wireless tape 102. Simply sticking the wirelesstape 102 on items of importance in the user's daily life, the wirelesstape application 121 can learn what the user typically brings with himfrom place to place during the day. It can anticipate this by employingmachine learning algorithms that may also employ external variablesincluding the weather and the user's digital calendar. If for examplethe user always brings his gym bag on Tuesdays and Thursdays, thewireless tape application 102 may predict that the user needs the gymbag on these days. It may be that the user happens to have meetings onthose days that are near the gym. The learning mechanism may predictthat if the user has a meeting with the same person on a Wednesday, theuser may also need the gym bag and a notification can be sent remindingthe user to bring the gym bag.

A machine learning model may be trained based on data collected from theuser to determine the conditions under which certain items are typicallywith the user. In this way, the machine learning model may be trained topredict, based on conditions, which items should be in the user'spossession. Training may involve determining when an item is in thepresence of the user based on receiving the beacon from the wirelesstape 102. The conditions at the time that the wireless tape 102 ispresent may also be determined, such as the day of the week, time ofday, weather, presence and identity of other users in the vicinity, andso on. The aforementioned data may comprise training examples used totrain the machine learning model to build an association between inputconditions and a prediction of whether the item is present or not.

After training, a set of conditions, of any of the aforementioned types,may be input to a machine learning model. The machine learning model maythen output a prediction, based on those conditions, of which itemsshould be in the possession of the user and at what times. When it isdetermined that one of the predicted items is not in the presence of theuser (for example, no beacon form an associated wireless tape 102 isreceived), then an alert may be triggered.

What is claimed is:
 1. A wireless tape comprising: a polyestersubstrate; an interconnect layer coated on the polyester substrate andpatterned to electrically couple a plurality of electrical circuits,wherein the electrical circuits are formed and/or bonded on theinterconnect layer, and comprise a Bluetooth processor, a Bluetoothcommunication circuit configured to broadcast beacons at a broadcastfrequency, and an energy harvesting circuit; a photovoltaic layercoupled to the energy harvesting circuit, wherein the photovoltaic layerand the energy harvesting circuit are configured to generate anelectrical signal from converting light to the electrical signal; and abattery comprising a cathode and anode layer and a battery pouchdisposed on the interconnect layer, wherein the interconnect layercomprises the cathode layer, and wherein the Bluetooth processor isconfigured to: receive the electrical signal; determine a rate of changeof the electrical signal; and modulate the broadcast frequency, at leastin part, based on the determined rate of change of the electricalsignal.
 2. The wireless tape of claim 1, wherein the Bluetooth processoris further configured to: select a sequence of broadcasting signals,comprising a predetermined number of broadcasting signals; modify thebroadcasting signals in the sequence based on a predeterminedmodification algorithm; and signal the Bluetooth communication circuitto transmit the sequence of the modified broadcasting signals to a smartdevice.
 3. The wireless tape of claim 2, wherein the smart devicereceives and routes the sequence of modified broadcasting signals to awireless tape application running on the smart device and the wirelesstape application reconstructs unmodified broadcasting signals from thereceived modified broadcasting signals, based on the predeterminedmodification algorithm.
 4. The wireless tape of claim 3, wherein thepredetermined modification algorithm comprises modifying a MAC addressand/or a UUID in the broadcasting signals.
 5. The wireless tape of claim1, further comprising: a coil antenna formed and/or disposed on theinterconnect layer and tuned to resonate at a frequency generated by atransceiver of a smart device; and wherein the coil antenna iselectrically coupled to a GPIO port of the Bluetooth processor, whereinthe coil antenna is configured to receive RF energy field generated bythe transceiver and convert the RF energy to an AC signal, and transmitthe AC signal the GPIO port of the Bluetooth processor waking up theBluetooth processor, and wherein the Bluetooth processor beginstransmitting a wireless beacon comprising a startup sequence, having apredefined power level and an identifier of the Bluetooth processor andthe Bluetooth communication circuit.
 6. The wireless tape of claim 1,wherein the Bluetooth processor further comprises an ADC configured toreceive voltages from a conductive surface of the wireless tape and theBluetooth processor is further configured to determine a rate of changeof the voltages from the conductive surface and modulate the broadcastfrequency, at least in part, based on the determined rate of change ofthe voltages from the conductive plane.
 7. The wireless tape of claim 1,wherein the Bluetooth processor further comprises an ADC configured toreceive voltages from a pair of parallel conductive surfaces of thewireless tape and the Bluetooth processor is further configured tomodulate the broadcast frequency, at least partly, based on differencebetween voltages received from the parallel conductive surfaces.
 8. Thewireless tape of claim 1 further comprising a first conductive plane anda second conductive plane formed on the interconnect layer and forming apart of an edge of the wireless tape, wherein the interconnect layer isfurther patterned to electrically couple the first conductive plane to aterminal of the battery and the second conductive plane to a GPIO portof the Bluetooth processor.
 9. The wireless tape of claim 1, furthercomprising a first conductive plane and a second conductive plane formedon opposite edges of the wireless tape and on an external surface of thewireless tape, wherein the interconnect layer is further patterned toconnect the first and second conductive planes to terminals of a GPIOport of the Bluetooth processor, and wherein the first and secondconductive planes comprise an electrically conductive adhesive layer.10. A system comprising: The wireless tape of claim 1; and a dispenserconfigured to dispense the wireless tape of claim
 1. 11. A methodcomprising: providing a polyester substrate; coating an interconnectlayer on the polyester substrate and patterning the interconnect layerto electrically couple a plurality of electrical circuits, wherein theelectrical circuits are formed and/or bonded on the interconnect layer,and comprise a Bluetooth processor, a Bluetooth communication circuitconfigured to broadcast beacons at a broadcast frequency, and an energyharvesting circuit; providing a photovoltaic layer coupled to the energyharvesting circuit, wherein the photovoltaic layer and the energyharvesting circuit are configured to generate an electrical signal fromconverting light to the electrical signal; and forming a layered batterycomprising a cathode and anode layer and a battery pouch disposed on theinterconnect layer, wherein the interconnect layer comprises the cathodelayer, and wherein the Bluetooth processor is configured to: receive theelectrical signal; determine a rate of change of the electrical signal;and modulate the broadcast frequency, at least in part, based on thedetermined rate of change of the electrical signal.
 12. The method ofclaim 11, wherein the Bluetooth processor is further configured to:select a sequence of broadcasting signals, comprising a predeterminednumber of broadcasting signals; modify the broadcasting signals in thesequence based on a predetermined modification algorithm; and signal theBluetooth communication circuit to transmit the sequence of the modifiedbroadcasting signals to a smart device.
 13. The method of claim 12,wherein the smart device receives and routes the sequence of modifiedbroadcasting signals to a wireless tape application running on the smartdevice and the wireless tape application reconstructs unmodifiedbroadcasting signals from the received modified broadcasting signals,based on the predetermined modification algorithm.
 14. The method ofclaim 13, wherein the predetermined modification algorithm comprisesmodifying a MAC address and/or a UUID in the broadcasting signals. 15.The method of claim 11, further comprising: forming and/or disposing acoil antenna on the interconnect layer; tuning the coil antenna toresonate at a frequency generated by a transceiver of a smart device;and electrically coupling the coil antenna, and a GPIO port of theBluetooth processor, wherein the coil antenna is configured to receiveRF energy field generated by the transceiver and convert the RF energyto an AC signal, and transmit the AC signal to the GPIO port of theBluetooth processor waking up the Bluetooth processor, and wherein theBluetooth processor begins transmitting a wireless beacon comprising astartup sequence, having a predefined power level and an identifier ofthe Bluetooth processor and the Bluetooth communication circuit.
 16. Themethod of claim 11, wherein the Bluetooth processor further comprises anADC configured to receive voltages from a conductive surface of thewireless tape and the Bluetooth processor is further configured todetermine a rate of change of the voltages from the conductive surfaceand modulate the broadcast frequency, at least in part, based on thedetermined rate of change of the voltages from the conductive plane. 17.The method of claim 11, wherein the Bluetooth processor furthercomprises an ADC configured to receive voltages from a pair of parallelconductive surfaces of the wireless tape and the Bluetooth processor isfurther configured to modulate the broadcast frequency, at least partly,based on difference between voltages received from the parallelconductive surfaces.
 18. The method of claim 11 further comprisingforming a first conductive plane and a second conductive plane on theinterconnect layer and as a part of an edge of the wireless tape; andfurther patterning the interconnect layer to electrically couple thefirst conductive plane to a terminal of the battery and the secondconductive plane to a GPIO port of the Bluetooth processor.
 19. Themethod of claim 11, further comprising forming a first conductive planeand a second conductive plane on opposite edges of the wireless tape andon an external surface of the wireless tape; and further patterning theinterconnect layer to connect the first and second conductive planes toterminals of a GPIO port of the Bluetooth processor, and wherein thefirst and second conductive planes comprise an electrically conductiveadhesive layer.
 20. An object tracking system, comprising: the wirelesstape of claim 1; a wireless tape application, comprising programinstructions to execute the wireless tape application on a computerdevice, and wherein the wireless tape application is configured to:receive the broadcast beacons, comprising a unique identifier of thewireless tape; query one or more databases to determine if the wirelesstape is associated with a user and/or an item; receive an input from theuser comprising a description of an item to be tracked; update the oneor more databases with an association of the user and/or the item to betracked and the unique identifier; and monitor the broadcast beacons andalert the user if the broadcast beacons are not received after athreshold period of time.